chapter thirteen — know your frenemies
[ season one, episode thirteen ]
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It's been a few weeks, and Gwen's leg was finally healed and she was able to walk on it, but she was advised to still take it slow. She was walking toward a cafe where Spencer and Emily were sitting. "Looks like someone traded in her wheels for heels." Emily laughed, making Spencer turn to her as well. "They're flats," Gwen responded as she sat down. "Here." Spencer said, handing Gwen the hot chocolate they got for her before she rang Hilton Head.

"Hi, I'm planning a surprise visit for my husband and he cannot stop talking about the room he had on his last visit. Can you pull up that reservation?" Spencer asked, in an odd southern accent. "His name is Ian Thomas." she added. Emily and Gwen shared a look as Emily took a bite of her food while Gwen sipped on her hot chocolate. "Why are you doing this?" Emily asked in a whisper, making Spencer put a hand to the speaker of her phone to answer.

"I think Ian and Alison were together the weekend before she disappeared." Spencer responded in a whisper. "Don't you remember how Alison was acting when she got home from visiting her grandmother? All giggles and tan?" Spencer asked, still whispering. "Yeah," Emily and Gwen responded in sync. "Ali hated old people, and Ali's grandmother lives in Georgia, Hilton Head is in South Carolina. She was lying to us." Spencer explained. "So what? Ali lied more than she breathed." Gwen asked, shrugging and Emily nodded in agreement.

"You think that was enough to make Ian wanna permanently shut her up?" Emily asked. "Wow. I thought you'd be happy to hear It was anybody but Toby."  Spencer said. "All Toby wanted was for me to believe him and I didn't." Emily said sadly, making Gwen frown. "Toby lied about a lot of things too, Em." Spencer said, trying to assure her. "If lying was a crime, we would all be in jail." Emily said and Gwen nodded before she caught sight of someone behind Spencer.

"Agent Cooper, good morning." she greeted her, making Spencer and Emily look over at her as well. "Hi. Beautiful day, huh?" she asked, coffee in hand. The girls smiled at her, as Hanna's mom's car pulled up, making Gwen smile. "Hey, Han." Gwen greeted her and Hanna smiled, before she noticed Gwen no longer in her wheelchair. "Hey Gwen." Hanna responded as she sat beside her. "Thank you." Spencer said into her phone before hanging up.

"The food in this town is to die for. I'm missing it already." Agent Cooper said, making them look at her. "Are you going somewhere?" Hanna asked. "Came here to find the person that killed your friend. Toby Cavanaugh may be out on bail, but he's not leaving town and we have a solid case against him. So unless you have a reason for me to stay." she said, looking at the girls.

"Well, I guess we'll see you around then." Hanna said. "You girls take care." Agent Cooper said before leaving. "Bye," Gwen said, before looking at Spencer, who seemed like she had something she wanted to tell them. "What?" Emily asked her. "Ian was definitely at Hilton Head the same weekend Ali was." Spencer explained. "Maybe we do have a reason for Cooper to stay." Emily said and Gwen frowned, holding her hot chocolate with both hands.

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"Agent Cooper is not some small-town cop who's gonna arrest Spencer's brother-in-law because Ali carved his name into a tree." Hanna said as the group walked through the cafeteria and sat down at a table. "Yeah, a tree that's no longer there." Aria scoffed. "No one knows that but us." Gwen said. "And Ian." Spencer added. "And 'A'." Hanna said, staring outside, and the girls followed her view to see Noel Kahn. "Noel led us to that tree for a reason." Spencer said. "Is 'A'... I mean, is Noel trying to help us find Ali's killer?" Aria asked, confused.

"'A' helping us? Yeah right," Gwen scoffed. "How could Noel even know about Ian and Ali?" Spencer asked. "Have you ever noticed how Noel is always around?" Aria asked before she looked back at Noel, to see him talk to her brother. "Are they friends?" Emily asked. "No." Aria answered. "You sure?" Gwen asked as she watched Mike and Noel talk.

"Hanna's right about Cooper. We need to find some kind of proof." Spencer, looking away from Mike and Noel. "Thank you, Veronica Mars." Hanna responded and Gwen snickered at the nickname. "That proof may be boxed in your kitchen." Emily said to Spencer, referring to the boxes of Ian's that were in Spencer's kitchen. "Hi." Maya said, walking up the table, making Emily smile. "Hey," Emily said, getting up and the two shared a kiss.

"Um, are we still on for later? You know, now that your dad's gone?" Maya asked as Emily picked up her bag. "Yeah, my mom knows how my dad feels about us." Emily responded. "In other words, he'll tolerate me." Maya responded. "She's spending the day in the city, okay so you'll be safe, I promise." Emily responded and Maya laughed. "What's later?" Spencer asked. "Um, studying." Emily answered. "Is that girl-on-girl code for romance?" Hanna asked.

Emily laughed. "No, Hanna, we're actually studying." she answered. "But your friend is a romantic." Maya said. "Is she?" Gwen asked. "Oh, yeah, umm, walks in the rain, picnic by the lake, dancing naked in cadelight." Emily responded as the girls shared amused smiles and raised their brows at her, speechless until Emily laughed. "I'm just kidding. We go to dinner and a movie just like you guys." she laughed along with the girls. "Well, she's not entirely kidding. Emily would love to do all of those things–" Maya started. "Okay, you've shared enough." Emily said before pulling Maya away and they walked off and the girls laughed and smiled, glad that Emily was happy.

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Gwen was at her locker, switching her books out for the ones she needed and the ones she didn't when Aria walked over to her. "Hey," she said and Gwen turned with a smile. "Hi," she greeted her, closing her locker, leaning against it. "Do you wanna grab a coffee after school? I could use a study buddy." she asked and Gwen shook her head. "I've got physical therapy after school, what about after I'm done?" she asked and Aria nodded. "Cool." Gwen said as Emily walked over to them.

"Hey, I just heard that Toby's here." she said. "Would they let him come back to school?" Aria asked. "Hey, freak coming through!" they heard, making them turn to see Toby being led into the hallway with a couple security guards. As Toby approved his locker, Gwen noticed someone had spray painted the word 'killer' on it with red spray paint.

He opened it and grabbed his books and then shut the locker, and the security guards led him through the hallway, someone walked in front of him. "Murderer." he said and a security guard moved in front of Toby. "Step aside, please." he said and the guy moved and then they led Toby through the hallway and round the corner.

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After Gwen's physical therapy, Aria had picked her up from it, and they had gotten a coffee from the Brew before they went on a walk. "So, how's your leg feeling?" Aria asked and Gwen shrugged. "It's okay, sometimes It hurts and I've gotta rest but other than that, it's pretty much better." she answered as the two began approaching 'Lucky Leon's Cupcakes' and they saw Hanna sitting there, and some Jocks laughing.

As they walked closer, "Hanna?" Aria asked and Hanna looked up from her phone to see Aria and Gwen. "Are you okay?" Gwen asked. "Oink, oink." a jock said, making Gwen turn glaring at them. "Don't you guys have practice or did you lose your balls?" she snapped, making them shut up, before Aria and Gwen took a seat with Hanna.

"I thought you were busy?" Aria asked. She had asked if Hanna had wanted to join her and Gwen, but refused saying she was busy. "I lied." Hanna responded. "Wanna talk about it?" Gwen asked. "I wish I could." Hanna said sadly, and Aria grabbed the napkin from her coffee and wiped the cupcake frosting off Hanna's face.

Gwen rubbed Hanna's back as she sniffed. "You know, I really hate 'A'." Hanna said, staring down the street, making them turn to see Noel Kahn, who turned to look at them. "He has something on my mom that can get her into a lot of trouble." Hanna admitted. "What does he want you to do?" Aria asked. "Remember when I used to eat when I got nervous or felt bad?" Hanna asked and they nodded.

"Alison walked in on me after a binge and... she was actually kind or so I thought." Hanna muttered the last bit. "She helped me throw up." she confessed and Gwen frowned. "Han, that's super dangerous." she said. "I know and... that was just such a low point in my life that... I started taking better care of myself." Hanna continued. "I knew I could be stronger than that." She finished and Aria and Gwen each held one of Hanna's hands. "You are stronger than that." Gwen said, smiling at Hanna.

After they talked a bit, Hanna went to the bathroom to go to the toilet while Gwen and Aria waited outside, but when they noticed Hanna was taking a little longer, they walked in. "hey, you okay?" Gwen asked and Hanna nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay." Hanna responded and the three of them left 'Lucky Leon's Cupcakes'.

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Sophia walked into the house, and headed into the kitchen to see her daughter studying. "Hi, mom," she greeted. "Hi sweetheart." she responded as she kissed the crown of Gwen's head. "How was physical therapy?" she asked as she took off her jacket. "Good. I've only got a couple more sessions left, but my leg's feeling better anyway." she responded. "That's good." Sophia said, sitting down in front of her daughter.

"How do we feel about ordering in?" she asked, making Gwen laugh. "I'm all for it." she said, "Good, because I've been craving pizza." Sophia said and Gwen nodded. "I'll order it, you have a shower." she said, getting up from her seat. "You are an amazing daughter." she said and Gwen laughed as she walked to get her phone and order the pizza.

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The next day, Gwen stood with Hanna and Spencer in front of the school. "Melissa's pregnant?" Gwen exclaimed, staring at Spencer wide-eyed. "Hey, I said this a secret." Spencer said, trying to quieten her down. "No, it's not a secret. It's a bombshell, like a nukular." Hanna responded, making Gwen furrow her brows. "It's nuclear." Spencer corrected her but Hanna stared at her confused. "Nuclear." Spencer tried again.

"Okay, whatever, it's still a disaster movie." Hanna said. "I know." Spencer responded. "Can you imagine Melissa pregnant? Or even worse Melissa as mom?" Gwen asked. "I've never once heard Melissa talk about kids, now she wants to have this huge family? It's like he's totally manipulating her." Spencer scoffed. "Manipulating her? Spence, your sister's a badass." Hanna said, trying to comfort her. "I don't know what we're gonna find but I have to see what's inside those boxes." Spencer said, referring to Ian's boxes.

Gwen was the one to notice an upset Emily walking up to them, looking at her phone. "Em?" she asked, making the others look at her as well. "Hey." Spencer greeted her softly. "I didn't even get to say goodbye." Emily said, making Gwen frown, confused. "To who?" she asked. "Maya." Emily answered. "Em, where is she going?" Hanna asked. "They're sending her to juvie camp for three months." Emily responded. "What happened?" Spencer asked. "My mother. That's what happened." Emily answered, causing Gwen to sigh sadly.

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The girls walked into the hallway to see a security officer, Vice Principal Hackett and Noel Kahn walking to Noel's locker. "Step aside, please." the security officer asked and Noel did as told, "Somebody set me up, okay?" Noel said, but no one was listening. "You'll have to explain this one, Mr. Khan." Vice Principal Hackett said as he looked through the locker. "You have to believe me." Noel pleaded.

"You stole the answers to three midterms, Mr. Kahn. I can't imagine ever believing in you again." Vice Principal Hackett responded and Gwen looked at the girls wide-eyed. "This is really unacceptable and I'm really, really disappointed in you." Vice Principal Hackett said, leading Noel away before the girls' phones went off and the girls pulled their phones out and checked the message.

UNKNOWN ID

A is Alison

not Amateur

The girls looked at each, shocked. Did 'A' get Noel expelled? Gwen thought.

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Later that night the girls had a plan for Emily. They had Maya upstairs in Spencer's room, waiting for her, so now the girls were downstairs waiting for Emily but also waiting for Melissa and Ian to leave so they could go through Ian's boxes. "I don't know who I'm more afraid of. 'A' the bitch who tried to flatten Hanna and Gwen or 'A' our new frenemy?" Aria asked and Gwen rolled her eyes.

'A' only ever did something for the girls if it benefited them. Aria started to smile, making Gwen furrow her brows. "What?" Spencer asked. "'A' saved my relationship." she responded, smiling. "'A' also tried to kill me and Han." Gwen remarked. "Because 'A' thought you saw her. 'A' clearly knows now that you didn't, "Spencer responded as the door to the kitchen from the outside opened, making them look towards it as Spencer looked down at her book.

"So, the, uh, the law of cosines is an extension of the Pythagorean theorem to the arbitrary angles around the outside—." Spencer started but Hanna cut her off. "Uh, English, please." she begged, not understanding Spencer's fast pace mathematical rant. "It's nice to see the posse together again." Melissa said, smiling.

"Uh, the posse?" Aria asked, laughing. "This is me playing nice, Aria. Spencer and I have called a truce." Melissa responded, smiling at her sister. "Oh, well, I'll play along. How does it feel to be married?" Gwen asked, "it feels like I don't have to try so hard all the time. Like things are settled." Melissa admitted. "Yeah, that's how my mom felt before my dad met Isabelle." Hanna said.

Gwen bit her lip, trying to hold in her laughter. "One thing I don't need to worry about is Ian looking at other women." Melissa laughed. How about teenage girls Gwen thought, thinking about Ian and Alison and Ian and Spencer. Ian walked in not long after that, "you ready, wife?" he asked, and Melissa turned to him with a smile. "I am, my handsome husband." she said before she and Ian left.

As Ian and Melissa left, Emily walked through one of the backdoors to Spencer's house. The girls all turned to her with a smile on their faces. "What?" Emily asked, confused. "There is something that I need to show you. In my room." Spencer said, getting up and was about to lead Emily to her room but Aria stopped her.

"Wait, no. I think she should find it herself." She said and Spencer nodded. "I agree, but first..." Hanna trailed off as she got up and fixed her hair and unbuttoned the first button on her jacket. "There, now you can go, hmm." Hanna said, smiling before Spencer opened her arms and pointed towards the stairway, and Emily began walking to the stairs, looking over her shoulder and smiling at her friends.

"Go." "Go."  Hanna and Spencer said, encouraging her while Gwen and Aria smiled as Emily went up the stairs, disappearing from view. The girls shared a laugh before they began going through Ian's boxes. "Hey, look at this." Aria said, turning the newspaper she was holding to show it was a 'STILL MISSING' for Alison. "Everyone kept those." Gwen responded, sighing, knowing she has one hidden in a box in her room.  

The girls kept going through boxes, "what's this?" Hanna asked. "It looks like a yearbook." Gwen said, moving to sit next to Hanna. "You guys, look. Really?" Spencer said, holding up a pair of binoculars. Gwen shivered, the thought of Ian using those made her feel queasy. "Spying." Hanna. "Creepy." Gwen muttered as they shared a laugh before they stopped, hearing Maya and Emily laughing from upstairs.

"You know, I am officially jealous of Emily's love life." Hanna said and Gwen laughed. "Least you have a boyfriend Han." Gwen pointed out before they started looking through boxes again, hoping to find something. "We've got comic books, more comic books, and more comic books." Aria said and she and Hanna pulled piles of comic books out of one box. "Evidence of geekdom, but not a crime." Hanna remarked.

"Hey," they heard, making them turn to see Emily and Maya walking down the stairs. "Thank you guys so much." Maya said as the girls stood up and looked at them before they all gave Maya a goodbye hug. Gwen smiled as she hugged Maya before stepping back. "Thank you." she said to Spencer as they hugged. "Of course." Spence responded. "You'll be back before you know it." Gwen said, smiling before Maya and Emily walked to the door and the girls turned to give some privacy.

They shared a kiss before Maya left. The girls sat around Spencer's living room, "I don't even know how to thank you guys. Tonight was the best gift anyone could have ever given me." Emily said, looking around at  her friend. "Where are they sending her?" Spencer asked. "Uh, someplace called True North." Emily responded. "Seriously?" Hanna asked and Emily turned to her. "Is it bad?" she asked.

"They sent Betsy Berger there for huffing spray paint. She came back as a drummer in a gospel band." Hanna answered and Emily looked worried. "Em, Maya's an amazing person, she's gonna be fine." Gwen said, trying to comfort her as Spencer re-sealed the last box. "Yeah." Emily whispered to herself. "Did you guys find anything?" she asked. "We looked through every box and found a big, fat nothing." Spencer responded, grabbing the box and putting it back with the rest of them as Spencer's phone went off.

She looked towards Spencer, who nodded and Aria picked up the phone. "Don't say I never gave you anything. Turn on your computer, A." Aria read out and they all looked towards where Spencer's computer was sitting and they all quickly huddled around it as Spencer turned it on and clicked on her mail and opened the newest one.

It was the same video Agent Cooper had shown them. "If the girls knew I was seeing you oh, my god, they'd never shut up about it." Alison on the video said. "This is the video Cooper showed us." Emily said. "I wish they were more mature, but..." she trailed off.

"We don't have a lot of time, I have to get back before they wake up." she said, staring at the camera, or rather, who was holding the camera. "I know you wanna kiss me." she said before the camera moved going towards her before she stood up and the video turned to was holding the camera, showing it was Ian, making the girls gasp. "Oh, my god!" Spencer exclaimed.

"Come closer." Ian in the video instructed and they heard Alison's laugh in the background as Ian's hand covered the Camera's lens as he put it on the ground. They heard heavy breathing on the video before they heard Alison gasp, and then her hand hit the ground making the girls gasp and when Alison's hand grabbed a handful of dirt, they gasped again before Alison's hand relaxed again and that was the end of the video. Gwen covered her mouth in shock before they heard a door shut from outside, startling them as they turned and gasped.

The girls ran outside, trying to catch whoever was outside, but they had lost whoever it was. "Do you see anything?" Spencer asked. "That bitch is fast." Emily said in shock. "We should go back." Gwen said and the girls nodded in agreement and they walked back to Spencer's.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter <3 | caleb next chapter !!